NEED ADVICE ON DIRECTV WIRING

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redrockglenn

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Sep 9, 2013
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California
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I'll try to be clear as possible with this description and photos.

We have a second home in Arizona with a downstairs tenant who had DirecTV installed earlier this year. There is also an upstairs apartment above the garage, which is what I'm trying to connect to the system. I have DirecTV at my primary residence, so I purchased an "owned" H24-100 receiver, got a smartcard for $20 from DirecTV, and activated it on my account. Now I want to take the box to the Arizona house. Problem is, the wiring upstairs isn't connected. When I plug in the receiver, I get a 775 error and it's not seeing the dish. The settings on the H24 are all correct.

The system is a Slimline dish with an SWM multiswitch, model SL3S4NR2-14. There's a PI-21 power inserter behind the downstairs TV, connected to the receiver box, and to the wall jack. Please look at the photos, which show the wiring outside the house. The white cable from the dish goes into a barrel connector, on the other end of which is a cable leading to the house which no doubt feeds the wall jack downstairs. Both of those cables have the red ring at the connector in the photo. There are two other wires with no connectors dangling. I believe these feed the upstairs. Question is, if I put connectors on the two other coaxes, then install a power-passing 1x3 splitter, feeding the dish cable into the input, and the current plus two dangling cables into the outputs of the splitter, will that solve my problem? Please note that there is no power available outside, so I can't put a power inserter there.

As a side note, the other cables connected to the Regal splitter I believe are the internet, which is provided by a local company. The tenant has a wireless router in the bedroom connected to a wall jack, so I don't believe DirecTV and the separate internet are co-mingled in any way.

Please feel free to ask me any questions. Really appreciate any quality tech advice offered.
Thank you
Kevin
 

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You could get a tone generator and locate the lines that go upstairs that way.
Seeing you don't know for sure where all the lines go.

If your trying to use the dish your other tenant is using, (from the sounds of it), you'll have top connect your lines after you isolate them to thier splitter in order to work with the existing set up.
 
:welcome to Satelliteguys redrockglenn!

I think Jimbo has the right idea of using a tone generator. If you don't have one, you can check for continuity on each cable by connecting the center conductor and the braided outer and checking on the other end. Do one at a time and you should be able to identify them that way.
 
You are getting into an area of account stacking...but yes, while leaving the incoming line, splitters internet feeds alone, you could discover where the other two unterminated lines go and connect them and the in service line to a splitter that would be served from the SWM dish you have . You would produce three (or more) outlets for receivers. The PI serves the splitter.

Joe
 
You are getting into an area of account stacking...but yes, while leaving the incoming line, splitters internet feeds alone, you could discover where the other two unterminated lines go and connect them and the in service line to a splitter that would be served from the SWM dish you have . You would produce three (or more) outlets for receivers. The PI serves the splitter.

Joe

I wouldnt call this account stacking, seeing he already has an open account with D. Hes not suppling recvrs for another person.
D does allow you to have recvrs at seperate addresses, at least they do when you ask them about it.
I dont think there is any rules saying you cant share a dish with the neighbor on the same property.
He could buy another dish and set it up and run a home run to his side of things, this way he would know for sure where lines go.
 
DirecTV terms of service require all receivers to be at the same address. If you take a receiver to another location (summer house for example) DirecTV turns a "blind eye" to this as long as receivers are not in use at both locations at the same time.
But the OP won't get any locals at the second home unless it is in the spotbeam for his (home) service address, in which case he will get those (California) locals not the Arizone ones.
 
Personally, I'd just keep it simple..
Get a Directv SWM Splitter (Green Label) from SolidSignal.com, put it in where that barrel connector is. Run the Downstairs line to the power passing port on the splitter, then run a line upstairs from the splitter. Done deal. No need for another power inserter, the one downstairs will power the SWM.
 
I wouldnt call this account stacking, seeing he already has an open account with D. Hes not suppling recvrs for another person.
D does allow you to have recvrs at seperate addresses, at least they do when you ask them about it.
I dont think there is any rules saying you cant share a dish with the neighbor on the same property.
He could buy another dish and set it up and run a home run to his side of things, this way he would know for sure where lines go.

I was just hinting that words like tennant and apartment could become "kid's room" and "den" just to keep everyone smiling. For sure the second dish on a garage is easier than an underground run. And remembering that toning the lines will help but you also have to count outlets to look for splitters.

Joe
 
Thanks much for all the help guys. Great tip shorting the shield to center on the unterminated feeder cables outside. I have a VOM and can easily check the wall jacks upstairs that way. Lanarian....great suggestion. You confirmed my assumption that the power passing splitter is all I really need to buy. I think I can make it happen now. Much appreciated.
 
Thanks much for all the help guys. Great tip shorting the shield to center on the unterminated feeder cables outside. I have a VOM and can easily check the wall jacks upstairs that way. Lanarian....great suggestion. You confirmed my assumption that the power passing splitter is all I really need to buy. I think I can make it happen now. Much appreciated.

Let us know how it goes !
 
We always like getting positive feedback, now let's hear a happy ending to the story!
 
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